MA521 Wireless Network PC Card, 802.11b
1 Excellent
I've had this card for almost 4 months. I use it on T-Mobile's WiFi service at Starbucks etc. It is excellent! I got it for $10.00. You can't beat that price. You'll never use the 11 mbps anyway; 802.11g etc. are overkill inless you work in an office.
2 Poor if you have a poor signal
My signal is not consistent and this card drops every 5-10 minutes. My old card was much more consistent - I upgraded to this one for speed but it has caused all kinds of problems for me (including the driver problem mentioned by others here).
3 Dodgy driver install, but otherwise fine
Several people have noted that Windows XP does not detect this card automatically. This is true. The trick is to install the latest drivers (from the web, not the CD), then insert the card. Of course this might be a chicken-and-egg kind of problem, since you need to have access to the web before you can install the card. I downloaded the driver on my Ethernet-connected desktop, burned it to CD, then installed it on my laptop. Then (and this is very important), I told the driver install program to let Windows manage my wireless networking. The built-in Windows XP wireless utilities work much better than the Netgear ones, especially if you have Service Pack 2.
Once everything's set up, the card works great, and drop-outs are usually attributable to the router or access point, not the card itself. Netgear just needs to write better drivers. Three-and-a-half stars overall, but Amazon doesn't let me assign half stars.
4 Compatabilty Problems
I bought this card and after installing the drivers, Windows XP could not recognize the card. When I talked to Netgear customer support they told me the card was defective and I should return it. I sent the card back to Amazon and Amazon quickly sent a new card to me (Amazon was great about the whole thing.) After going through the whole process with the second Netgear card, that card didn't work either. I ended up installing a Linksys card and it works great.
5 Great for the price
We had problems with our Netgear wireless router, but this card has worked great in several hotels.
6 ma521 has issues with windows 2000 driver install
i have called technical support twice and after wasting 2 hrs with them got nothing resolved. I bought this on Amazon,so I am gonna return this crap and probably get Linksys. The drivers are all messed up and dont work.
7 Nice Card
I have used SMC wireless card for a while for my xp pro laptop, two problems, drop connection every 5-10 minutes, need to choose connection after laptop wake up from hibernate. But Netgear card works good without any issue so far (two weeks). I bought the card from Microcenter, almost free (only pay tax) if I can receive the rebate. Since I heard Netgear custom service is worse and maybe no chance to get the rebate, so I rate it with 4 stars.
8 Excelent buying option!!
I bought some time ago NETGEAR MR814 802.11b 4port ROUTER and I have finally bought this item to complete my wireless home network. It has not dessapoited me: excelent presentation, easy installation and configuration. Good signal power (could be better indoors). For security reasons I have chosen one with 128 bit encryption and same brand as my router. Next time I will get USB/PCI wireless network adapter.
9 Very poor signal quality
Do not buy this item if your signal is not all ways excelent.
I have prevously owned the two older versions of the netgear 802.11b pci cards and both were much better than this one.
Only buy this item if you want a small compact card and you have an excelent signal quality.
10 Decent card
I have installed this card in a few different laptops. Never had a problem. Just follow the directions, install the drivers before you put the card in the laptop. Works fine on 98SE and 2000. Signal strengh seems a little weak but it works fine around the house.
If all you are planning on doing is surfing the web around the house then 802.11b is all you need. It has a faster transfer rate than most broadband at home.
11 So much better than SMC
I have been using an SMC wireless card for some time now (with XP Pro) and couldn't figure out why the signal was being dropped every 5 or 10 minutes. Incredibly aggrevating! My dad also had an SMC card and XP Pro with his laptop and was having similar problems. It wasn't until I read reviews on Amazon when I was looking for a new card that I realized it wasn't the router or the age of my card (dad had newer), but the compatibility of SMC with XP Pro. I ordered two of the Netgear MA521s for both of us and neither has had any problems since. It takes slightly longer on boot up for the card to recognize that the network is there, but after that, never drops the signal. It has good range, I've been everywhere in our two-story, four-bedroom house and have not had a problem anywhere. I would highly recommend this card, especially to anyone running XP Pro.
12 Good Wireless Netgear MA521
At first it will now work on my Compaq Armada 100s 550MHZ AMD K6 (June 2000) 16bit card bus with Win98 (not SE) giving out " NDIS.VXD NTKERN.VXD device loader for this device could not load the device drive {code 2)" error and exclamation mark under device driver. I suspect it to be either the previous PCMCIA LAN Card I used and interfering with this new wireless hardware or the anti-virus program. I have no time to find out. So I reload my laptop with a clean install of Win98SE (SE this time). This time it works and no more code 2 errors. It averages 85% signal strength and 85% link quality thru walls and close doors.
13 Good card but not as good as MA401
I found the MA521 at Staples for $39 with a $20 mail in rebate. I already own an MA401 which I use in my other laptop. I didn't realize these two cards differed until the installation completed and I recognized a difference in the appearence of the config util. I had hoped the 521 would outperform the 401 (not that the 401 is a slouch). The install went very smooth for the 521 as opposed to some minor problems I experienced with the 401. However, my laptop was setting on my desk barely 24 inches from the router and the signal strength of the 521 was in the 82% range with link quality about 10% higher. I was amazed yet totally disappointed! How could ANY wireless device not achieve 100% signal and link when so close to the access point?!? Two rooms away is my other laptop with it's 401. A quick check showed 100% for signal strength and link quality! There must be a big difference in the internals of the 521 and the 401. While the 521 is a nice card for a nice price after rebate, I prefer to have a better performing card and will be exchanging the 521 for a 401 (IF I can find a 401!). If your wireless needs are such that the very best in signal and link is not required, then the 521 would be a nice card to own. It's a great card, just not as good as the 401.
14 Poor Technical Support
My Netwiking Card all of sudden stopped functioning afer 4 months in use. Reading the literature on web I was able to do basic debugging and found that Networking card is not able to pickup the signal and when could not resolve the issue I called there Tech Support who were not willing to help at all unless I agree to pay them 28$ service fee or agree 2$/minute charge of the call. Guys have you heard of this. My experience with Netgear is not good and would suggest you not waste your quality time and money on poor quality products from NetGear!!! And be carfull of their disgusting technical support
15 Sets the standard.
OK you have tried Linksys, now come try the best, Netgear. I have been using this card for a month now at T-Mobile Hot Spots such as Kinko's and Starbucks with no complications whatsoever. If you are operating under Windows XP Professional, installation of the card is as simple as "plug and play". Just put it in and go. Be sure to ignore the disclaimer about the operating system, everything works just fine if you let Microsoft Windows do what it's designed to do, and run the show. That way you will have one less driver software program to clutter up your hard drive. This is a must have product that sets the standard for its category.
16 No problem on Win98 w Belkin router
I spent as much on the card (not much) at Best Buy as I did for the cheapest Belkin wireless router at Microcenter. Absolutely no problem running Win98 on wireless laptop and wired Win2K desktop. Had to reboot laptop. Browser interface lets one monitor wireless access. Great card and a good buy.
17 Exactly what I want.
I've been using this gizmo for months and have no problems with it. Signal strength is strong everywhere in my house, it never drops off. As soon as I turn on the laptop, I'm connected to the WLAN! No buttons to press, it's all very easy. It sticks out about a centemeter, and the part sticking out won't break off. If you want a wireless card, this is the one to get.
18 easy setup works great
Love it, like I love the Netgear wireless router it connects to (see my other reviews). Easy to install and setup, sleek design. I love Netgear products. The way to go for wireless, IMHO.
19 Happy in Houston
Have used this card for a week and no dropped connections. Works great in my small two story townhouse. Setup took maybe 30 minutes and I'm a novice. I have a Dell 1100 computer and a D-Link 714P+ router and so far everything is working well together. I thought the Netgear setup guide was good-helped me understand things about the router I didn't get from D-Link.
20 Despite clunky software, excellent card
After several experiences with cheaper wireless cards, this NetGear is finally the one. I purchased and passed along wireless cards from Adaptec, SMC and Gigafast, which in one way or another were lacking; their software was not working well (SMC), connectivity was not too great (Adaptec) and the updated Windows XP driver just killed the card outright (Gigafast). I decided to spring for a more expensive card and got the MA521 and it is the best so far. It cooperates well with my Adaptec access point, reception working well across my 3 bedroom apartment. Its management software could be better, but all in all it works great.
21 Easy setup and strong signal
This card was extremely easy to setup and linked up quickly. The signal is strong even across the house. Only while running the microwave do I ever lose the signal.
22 Do NOT use this card with Win98!
This card is incompatible with Win98 SE, regardless of what the product listing says. I spent the past 55 minutes with Netgear tech support, with no resolution to the problem other than "contact Microsoft because their operating system isn't installing these drivers correctly." Pshaw! My prior Netgear card (MA401) worked fine on the same machine. This new model simply won't work with Win98 SE.
23 Absolutely superb!
Found the MA521 in my Christmas stocking, installed the driver software in my Dell Inspiron 7500 and went to the local public library's WiFi hotspot, planning on spending some time configuring things. I was pleasantly surprised to see that no tweaks of any sort were required. Both browser and email came right up. I don't know what the range is, but it worked flawlessly throughout the building. When anything is this plug-and-play, I figure it deserves five stars!
24 Same card as the Linksys WPC11 v.4
They changed the chipsets in these cards to Taiwanese Realtek chips. Where the Linksys WPC11 pre-v.4 was easy to install and was supported by AbsoluteValue systems' linux-wlan project, (http://www.linux-wlan.org/docs/wlan_adapters.html) the realtek chipsets are not. They are a real pain to configure now. If you want to run this card / chipset under Linux, look elsewhere ... like at the Netgear MA 401 which is supported by AVS.
25 Excellent w/out Netgear Router!
I just purchased this w.card after having D-Link's 650+ w.card. With the D-Link, I constantly lost connections and when I took out the card, I had to reload the drivers often. This card is working like a dream. I'm able to establish my VPN which I wasn't able to prior and I haven't lost connection yet. I am also using D-Link's 614+ (very good router) and I had no complications with using an alternate brand w.card. The installation was very quick and easy with no problems. I was able to get online w/out updating the drivers, but did update them just in case. The Netgear website was easy to find the downloads. Nice product.
26 Nice range; limited support
I bought the whole deal - 2 wireless Neatgear MA 521 PC cards for our 2 laptops and the FM114P.
I am quite pleased, so far, with how it works (granted I've only been using it for a week).
The cards were the easiest thing to deal with. No problems there.
BUT - if you're using Windows XP, be prepared to figure out any problems by yourself. The support staff, via the web, could only quote the manual for me.
HINT: if you are using the FM114P with Windows XP, DISABLE the XP firewall in the Network settings. Your computer won't be able to find the Printer Port on the FM114P, otherwise.
You're not going to need that Firwewall, anyway. The router IS a firwewall. I used to get upwards of 30-40 potentially harmful inbound events registered on my Personal Firewall software before using the Neatgear router. Now, I'm surprised if I see 3 to 5 (even with XP's Firewall shut off).
27 Easy setup and strong signal
This card was extremely easy to setup and linked up quickly. The signal is strong even across the house.
28 Quick & easy wireless access for our laptop
We'd just set up our wireless network using a Netgear MR814 router, and had one desktop computer plugged into the router via cable. Next step was to get my wife's Toshiba/WinXP laptop connected wirelessly to the network so that she could simultaneously roam house and net. The Netgear MA521 card slid right in, and the installation software was straightforward (including printed instructions to walk the uncertain user through each detail). Installation and configuration took maybe 15-20 minutes (and we're very slow and methodical about such things). Connection strength and speed throughout the house (typically 40-50 feet and 2 or three walls away from the router) is high. It's been a few weeks now, and we haven't had to touch card or configuration once since installation...
29 Love this card! !!
I bought this card after having lots of problems with a linksys card. I have a dell laptop and I'm running Windows XP Home. The linksys card had poor signal strength and repeatedly dropped signals, even if seated next to the router. This netgear card is phenomenal. The signal hasn't been dropped yet and I have a signal throughout my house (4000 sq. ft.) and outside! Avoid the linksys card and buy netgear! I can't say enough good things about this card. I love it!
30 Works great - up to 500 feet
Recently purchased this card in lieu of the MA401 by NETGEAR. Plugged it in & I was off & running!! Have it configured to a MR814 NETGEAR Router. I have the router upstairs & I can actually reach my deck on the first floor (about 500 feet away).. So now I can sit outside and "surf!" I highly reccomend this & the MR814.
31 Very poor implementation; install hairy and hardware is poor
I bought this card at Best Buy for $... after rebates. Good deal. However, the first card I brought home had a very variable signal. Walk onto my porch, 15 feet away which has a line of sight through a window, and the signal droped. Called NetGear support and they told me that while this product is using inferior Texas Instruments hardware, it should have gotten a better range than that. So, I exchanged it. Same problem.
As a result, I'm taking the 2nd level support guy's suggestion and buying the MA401. I recommend you do the same.
